Reading resolutions: 2019

I don’t tend to make personal resolutions at the beginning of a new year, but I always make bookish ones. In a bit of a coup this year I have made some very casual resolutions for myself. The first, I am going to record each purchase I make. Hopefully, this will encourage me to identify and reduce my frivolous purchases, helping me save money and cut down on waste. Secondly, I have decided to try and do more, especially in terms of getting fitter. I know from experience that making a resolution to lose weight never works. However, I feel more motivated and confident this year in ‘doing more’.

In more interesting January news, here are my 2019 reading resolutions:

Read 65 books

Like millions of others, I heralded the New Year with a new Goodreads Challenge. I set last years at 52 and exceeded it by more than double – it was great. This year, I’d love to do the same but I also know that 2018 may have been a fluke, I don’t think I ever read as many books before. So, as a way of keeping the pressure off, and hopefully not scaring away my motivation, I decided to set my goal at 65, slightly above my usual average, but still achievable.

Read at least one new classic and three Penguin Little Black Classics

It’s not news that I am not a fan of the classics, I tend to find them hard to get in to. And I definitely find them intimidating. That being said, there are a few that I did enjoy. One such book was Pride and Prejudice (on the second reading). Having heard – from an Austen-ite and very trusted source) that Emma is also an easy Austen read, I’m excited to give it ago. Also, when Penguin released a collection of 46 Little Black Classics in 2016, I jumped on the bandwagon and bought several. I did, and still, think that they’re a good, non-intimidating, way of introducing me to different types of classics. It might seem like a small number, but I want to read at least three out of the five I own.

Read with less guilt

Mid last year, I wrote this post about feeling somewhat guilty and embarrassed about the amount I was reading, and what that meant during a time when everyone on social media – and in real life – appeared to be doing so well in life. It is a feeling I am really struggling to shake. This year, I am going to resolve to read with less guilt; whatever form that might take. I resolve not to worry about whether I am reading too much, too little, or the wrong thing. If I read a book in a day, that’s great! If it takes a week, that is also great. If I want to read a fluffier, easier read – the books that tend to be defined as chick-lit or women’s fiction – or repeats of Harry Potter, just YA, or nothing at all, that’s absolutely fine!

Have you made any resolutions for 2019? Let me know in the comments below.